Paintball

[Walking_Target]

hehehe

you could make yourself look like an ODST from Halo 2

[Painthappy]

JT made some nice chest protectors too...

Look into that?

But honestly.. with a protector lets say... I'd think you would be better covered by doing that, and playing paintball... Then lets say, getting in a car accident, and have that impact along with the impact of the air bag slamming you, etc.

Compared to that, a paintball is nothing.

A little protection in the area, and I'd say you're fine... Or at least I'd think that way.

Bring up the guard thing, and see what the doc says.

[Railgun]

I don't think that hard armour over that area is out of line at all. And I would strongly suggest that hard outer shell armour with soft absorbtive padding under is the only way to go. If you were hit in that area the idea is to transfer the energy out to the areas to either side and reduce the overall PSI that any specific area feels. Hard shell armour is the only way to do that outside of some sort of impact absorbtive self hardening super duper expensive foam stuff.

[Walking_Target]

hardened leather over 1/4 of closed cell foam...


if i can get hit in the chest by a 2x4 and not suffer badly wearing it, i'm sure it would be more than enough for paintball...

[Walrus]

Originally Posted by Walking_Target

i don't personally know the reqirements for protection, but if it's anything like the one my neighbor has, it's alot more durable then the doc lets on, not that i would want to have a hit there either, as it could sting pretty bad. (his looks kinda like a medium size pack of cigarettes that has been implanted halfway between the nipple and the collar bone)

Yes, that description is right on. I am not worried about my little titanium defib getting damaged, but when I saw that they charged insurance $51k just for the device (the surgery to install it was extra) I don't want to take any chances. I think the best best will be something custom and I will have to put my wife's sewing skills to the test.

I generally don't like to wear too much extra gear when I play, so adding a vest doesn't really appeal to me right away. I sure appreciate all the ideas too, and I may have to look into quite a few of them.

So, by all the responces I take it I am the only guy here with a defib. Man, this sucks!!

[~FinSec]

I would seriously consider a scenario paintball vest. I have a couple of mine laid out where the radio pouch is in the area you described. When ever I get a shot there the radio takes the hit.

[Railgun]

Originally Posted by Walking_Target

hardened leather over 1/4 of closed cell foam...


if i can get hit in the chest by a 2x4 and not suffer badly wearing it, i'm sure it would be more than enough for paintball...

Yes, that would do the trick.... And it'll be SOOOO Conan the Barbarian...

Seriously, it's great to see that your spirit hasn't been quashed. I went through some of the same thing about 14 years back when when I had to be operated on for an early cancer on my esophagus. These niggling little hardships sure changes your view of what is important in this life in a hurry.

[Amoryl]

a plate of hardened plastic will do the trick too, and be more waterproof and cheaper then hardened leather. don't get me wrong, WT, hardened leather is the bomb. but it's not entirely maintinence proof, and for that...plastic all the way.

[Rypper72]

I would not worry too much about the defibrillator itself when getting hit right on the defib pocket. They are as tough as nails, and their circuits are completely enclosed/encased and designed to survive high speed crush impact. If your chest suffers enough force to break the defibrillator... well... it's unlikely you've survived the impact.

HOWEVER... one reason its not a good idea to get hit right on the pocket is the possibility that it might form a hematoma (blood pocket) in the defib pocket or right over it, which would take some time to resolve, or worse, could become a nidus for infection. As your docs may have let on, pacer/defib pocket infections represent one of the worst case scenarios for these devices, and SOMETIMES may require the whole system (wires and all) to be removed and placed in an alternate location. You do not want that... at all. Aside from the expense... the fewer times you have to have little silicone/metal leads screwed into your heart from the inside, the better.

It would be a good idea to wear something protective/padded over the pocket area. If you're not into tac vests/chest protectors, I would suggest maybe wearing a nice fleece vest under thick BDU's... with maybe some 4x4 gauze taped right over the pocket under the clothes. (This would obviously be for fall/winter games). I've played with a fleece vest under BDU's, and I'm surprised in how little I feel when I get hit.

In addition, the underlying medical factors (that I have no clue about in your case, as I don't know the first thing about you) that predisposed you to sudden cardiac death, may make you more prone to bad heart rhythms under the right set of circumstances... i.e. chest impact at just the wrong time in the cardiac cycle... or overexertion. I know that you've already gone over the do's and dont's with your cardiologist, so just take his advice on what to do for precautions. As long as he/she's ok with you playing ball (with the right precautions), you should go out and enjoy life and paintball.

Anyhow... good luck... don't resent the device... it's there as a rescue device for you. By the grace of God, I hope it will never have to go off... but if it does, it just saved your life.

[Walking_Target]

amoryl is right, hardened leather is nice, but not good for this application ...

on that note, if you want a piece of thermo-formed HDPE (aprox 3/16" thick) to try out, i have some laying around and would be happy to make something up for you, just shoot me your shipping addy and it will be there within a week or two.